Lost Path
by perambulate
Summary: Plagued by the memories of her dark past, and the only one who offers comfort is Ollie. Will Katie accept? PG-13 since I think 13 years old nowadays are known to the stuffs in here.
1. Will you tell?

The compartment door closed. Katie sighed and leant on the window. She glanced at her wrist and touched it gently, and winced. Marcus had grabbed it. Grabbed it when the scar was still fresh. Katie pulled the sleeve up and stared at her slashed wrist. Her wrist looked red, angry-looking. And the fresh scar was forming blood, Marcus had grabbed her too hard. She looked at the sleeve and saw 3 tiny drops of blood on it, and sighed. Katie pulled out a tissue and dabbed her scar. She then plastered a plaster on it and covered it with a wristband. Good thing she used to wear wristbands since her third year. Nobody would suspect it.

_"Bell!" Somebody shouted. Katie turned around and saw a grinning mouth lined crookedly with small, shining and **sharp **teeth. Katie grimaced and took a step backwards and looked up, "Flint."_

_"You look like you need to get off, Bell," Flint murmured as he snaked his arm around Katie's hips and pulled her towards him, "I can help you with that..."_

_"I'm sorry Flint, but I just cannot... get off with your **tiny **cock, Flint... It's nice of you to offer though, but meet me when it grows up, okay?" Katie retorted and pushed Flint away and walked away. **'Agh!' **Katie thought as she suddenly stopped and gasped. Flint grabbed her wrist, hard. "See you after the feast, Katie... I'm sure you'll like it..."_

_Katie bit her lip and blinked back her tears, **it hurt! **"An inch to your non-existent cock won't please me, Flint, so sorry..." Katie then pulled her wrist away and ran off._

Her thumb rubbed the black wristband as she watched the sceneries pass by. Katie then glanced at her watch and look at the compartment door anxiously, _Where are they?! _Katie thought as she frowned and put her legs on the seat across. Suddenly, laughter broke out, and a tide of footsteps peppered outside the door, and it opened. Angelina stumbled in, still laughing. Following her were Alicia, George then Fred. They all collapsed in one laughing heap.

"What is so funny?" enquired Katie, with an amused look on her face.  
"Oliver... Flint..." gasped George and he fell back into the clutches of laughter again.  
"They... He... Oliver... Dare... Kiss!!!" Fred mumbled and beat the floor with his fists, unable to contain the funniness of something.  
"WHAT?!" asked an exasperated Katie  
Alicia finally calmed down, and got up, "Oh Kath, you should've seen it!!! We dared Oliver to go up to Flint, say some romantic words, and kiss him on the lips!!!"

The laughing heap laughed more, if that was possible. Katie stared at the giggling Alicia, her mouth a perfect circle, "_WHAT?!_" Katie shrieked.

Angelina got up and sat across Katie, "It's true!!! It's true!!! Oliver finally agreed after we threatened to burn his broom! He... he... oh," Angelina started laughing again, this time so hard that she fell down to the floor, head-first.

"He went up to Flint and said, _ "Mon amour, je suis tombé amoureux de vos dents" _then..." George had to bite Angelina's ankle to stop himself from laughing, then his expression turned into disgust and opened the window and spat out,

"Then Oliver grabbed Flint's shoulders, _"Vos dents, mon amour... est si irrésistible..."_ and leant in and kissed him smack on the lips!!!" Fred chortled

Alicia giggled, "Flint was so surprised!!! He didn't do anything!!! He just touched his lips and stared at Oliver, who was running away to the bathroom!"

"Wait! Wait! What does all of those frenchies mean?!" Katie cried,

"Well, the first one meant, _'My love, I've fallen in love with your teeth' _and the second meant, _ 'Your teeth, my love... is so irresistible...' " _giggled Alicia.

Just then, the compartment door opened, and in entered a disgruntled Oliver. All of them started laughing again. "Shut. Up." muttered Oliver and sat down beside Katie, "You better keep your promise!"

Katie glanced at Oliver, "What promise?"

Fred suddenly stopped laughing and muttered, "Oh, you know, the not-burning of Oliver's broom.."

Katie shrugged and stretched her leg, **_BOCK! _**Everyone sat still and stared down. Katie had accidentally kicked Angelina's head.

"Oh Ange! I'm so sorry!!! Ange? Ange... ?" Katie cried, then swoop down and shook Angelina's shoulders.

"I think... she passed out..." Alicia said, her face white.

Katie sighed as she sat on the grass. She stared up at the scattered stars across the night sky as the cold wind whipped her hair, and blew her scrunchie away as it was loosely-tied. Her dark brown hair billowed behind her as Katie shivered and lay down.

Oliver was rummaging through his locker to find his broom,_The twins had better not burn Jake! _Oliver thought angrily, and Jake of course was his pet name for his broom. Then suddenly Oliver remembered it was stored in the broom's cupboard outside, at the pitch. He then walked out and into the pitch and saw Katie, still sitting, her scrunchie was still dancing with the wind. And he gasped, and drank in the sight.

Katie's hand searched for her pocket. Her hand then found it and entered it, feeling through its contents. _ Where's my army knife? _thought Katie glumly.

Oliver saw Katie lying down, still staring at the sky. He wanted to go to here, to say... _hi_, tho as lame as it may sound. He just wanted to be there, near Katie, beside him. No, he wanted Katie in his arms, he wanted Katie to be his, he wanted Katie to love him back. Oliver bit his lip and glanced around to see if anyone was there. Suddenly, he saw a glint of light, Oliver turned towards Katie and saw that she was holding up a small blade. _What?_ thought Oliver, confused.

Katie sighed and pulled off her wristband, and sat up. She then traced her scars with the blade, loving the anticipation of a slash, loving every caress of the cold sharp blade, and the fresh sting of her still red scar. Katie then turned the blade upright and slashed her wrist quickly, her new scar overlapping the old scars.

Oliver's mouth dropped in surprise as he saw Katie slashing her arm. His body went numb, he wanted to reach out for her. But he couldn't. His mouth opened to shout Katie's name, but suddenly it clamped back down. _No, Katie won't appreciate you seeing her doing what she did._ Oliver thought gravely.

Katie was adding another scar. She was breathing quickly, the excitement of cutting herself was running deep in her veins. Her eyes were shiny from tears. Tears of what? _Happiness... _ thought Katie, _Happiness, sadness, guilt... _Suddenly, a voice called out, "Katie!" Katie freezed, shock for a split second. But she quickly whipped the bloodied blade into her pocket, wipe her flowing blood with her robe [_Thank God for black robes!_] and quickly concealed the fresh, and still flowing scars with her armband. Katie wiped her eyes and turned around, and saw a smiling Oliver walking towards her.

"What are you doing here, Katie" smiled Oliver, then he frowned, "Have you been crying?" Katie shook her head, even though her red eyes were still there, proving her to be a liar. "You've been crying..." murmured Oliver as he reached out for Katie and hugged her, "It's not your fault, you know, that Angelina fainted after hitting her head at floor. It's Angelina's fault actually, she shouldn't have laughed so much..." Oliver then felt Katie shaking, "Yeah, you can wipe your snot on my robes, I don't mind you know..." Katie then half-laughed and half-cried, "Th-- Thanks, Ozzy..." Oliver smiled, "Didn't I tell you to not call me Ozzy? I'm not a fan of biting bats' heads off, you know." Oliver then felt Katie's arms around his shoulders, and he smiled, his hope of Katie liking him was resurrected once more.

**a/n: **okay! I know I suck, but hey, if you think I suck, review kay? And tell me why I suck too. So I can improve of being more... suckier =D


	2. The secret hidden with a full moon

Oliver stood there, in the cold wind of a dark starry night, with Katie Bell in his arms. What he imagined, but it didn't really come off the right way...

"What were you doing out here?" Oliver murmured into Katie's hair

Katie looked up and stared into Oliver's eyes. She broke away from the embrace and stared at the night sky with her back facing Oliver, "You saw."

Oliver paused, _Did she meant that I saw her slashing...?_, "Um... yeah, but... why?"

Katie then turned around, her face confused, "Why do you suddenly care?" Katie uttered, "You never did before... so why now?"

Oliver grimaced, _Damn! Because I finally realised that those zappy feelings were love?_, "Because you were crying... because you look so... _lost_..." Oliver paused, and lamely said, "Because you're my chaser..."

Oliver saw something flashed in Katie's eyes, and suddenly her face was white, "Just because I'm your _chaser?_ Your _quidditch mate_?" Katie paused and closed her eyes, "If I weren't a chaser, will you care?" Katie opened her eyes, suddenly glinting bright with unshed tears.

Oliver opened his mouth, _Nope!_ said his manly-ly-obsessed brain, "Nope!" replied Oliver, without thinking.

Katie's face, if it were more possibly, became more pale. Her body shook, her lips trembled, her eyelids fluttered crazily, trying to restrain the flow of tears. As one crystal tear fell, Katie ran away.

"Fuck." swore Oliver as he sat down on the grass, his head clutched tightly.

_Oh no, I see,  
A spider web, it's tangled up with me,   
And I lost my head,   
The thought of all the stupid things I said,_

Katie sobbed as she sat on the bathtub, _You're my chaser_, Katie thought bitterly. Katie looked towards the bathroom window and saw a full moon, she shuddered as her brain took an unexpected history lesson.

_"Dont even try to shout," sneered him as he pinned Katie to the wall, "Nobody will hear you, nobody will help you. Hell, nobody would even care if they can hear you."_

_Katie closed her eyes, tears still streaming out, "No... they'll care, they... they love me..."_

_He laughed, "Yeah sure. Do loved ones abandon you when you cry in front of them? Moving away from you as if you're a leper. Do loved ones shrink their minds when they see your scars, Katie? Do they?"_

_Katie shuddered and opened her eyes, unable to take the flashing images of scorn and hate and pity. She saw something hanging so brightly, so peaceful. A full moon. Her thoughts were vanquished when her robes were torn off, "NO!" screamed Katie as she tried to beat him away, "Please... don't... stop..."_

_"You're weak, you're nothing, ** worthless**." He sneered, as he licked Katie's neck, "You taste so sweet..."_

_"No... nobody's here without a reason, I'm here for someone, for somebody, for **something!**" Katie cried desperately, trying to battle the raging wave of the lies she's starting to believe as the truth._

_"Yeah, you're here to please me. You're nothing else but a whore. You can't do anything, you're useless, a piece of trash. Rotten." He laughed as his hands groped all over Katie's body._

_Katie stared at the white peaceful moon, hating it every second as she continued to be raped. Her strength leaked from the hole caused by the sharp words. She felt nothing, she felt so numb..._

Katie took out her army knife and stared at the bloodied blade. She opened a tap, washing the dried blood away, seeing it mix with pure clean water with pleasure. Katie closed the tap, dried the blade and set it against her skin. _Let me feel again, _begged Katie. She started slashing her arms with long swift strokes. Blood flowed out, beads of it rolling down her arm and onto the pristine white of the marble bathtub. _ No, I still feel numb, _grappled Katie angrily as she now slashed more and more with short slow strokes, deliberately seeing each skin being pulled away so slowly by the sharp edge, and the blood welling out of it.

Katie turned her wrist down and let the blood dripped down to the bathtub. After she was satisfied with the size of the puddle, she opened the tap and saw the clear water became murky with her warm blood.

She paused, then washed her wrist and arm. Katie took off her robes and wristbands and threw them into the clothes hamper. She unlocked the bathroom door, took a pair of new wristbands and climbed into her bed, while wearing them.

_Is it worthless never to speak  
than to risk your voice  
and never be heard?_

Katie rubbed her wrist gently, _ Nobody should know about this... nobody would care. And if they do, why should they? I'm nothing, I'm worthless, I'm not worth their anxiety._

Katie sighed as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Oliver was starting to head-bang with the goal pole.

**a/n: **there! finished! Thanks to **itefaq, darkmoon-on-dragonwings, ghost **and **pokElilpupE**! To ** itefaq**, I _love _your story!!!! Update yours and I'll update mine? please? 8D

constructives comments and flames are VERY welcome!!!! weeee! i still think my story sucks tho, compared to toher 8\


	3. In which returns the mightiness of Power

It was 5 am when Katie banged her alarm clock and sat straight up. Half-groans and one, 'Shut up Katie!', were emitted from the the surrounding bed. Katie sat there quietly until she heard the familiar snores and heavy breathing around her. She got out of the bed and grabbed her wand. Whispering, _'Lumos'_, she held the shining wand above her bed, looking for stains. Seeing one, she quickly muttered a cleaning spell and rushed towards the bathroom.

Katie took off her stained wristbands, "Damn!" Katie whispered, "I need to buy more wristbands!"

She quickly hid the wristbands deep into the clothes hamper and washed her reddened wrist. She looked at her new scars admiringly, loving every angriness and sadness that was pouring out of them. The redness was just **glowing**. Her eyes sparkled with glee as she skipped into the bedroom quietly and rifled through her trunk. After finding a pair of wristband, she took one of them and slip it on her scarred wrist. Then she started searching for her long lost wrist watch, _Where the hell is it?!_, and after ten minutes of intense ruffling, she found her dusty old watch, blew the bunnies away and wore it on the other un-scarred an un-banded wrist.

Katie snuck out of the bedroom and bounded down the stairs. She was feeling quite happy despite of what happened last night. Even if the cracks on her heart caused by the blow of Oliver's words were still there, fresh and new, she continued to ignored it. She had slashed a lot last night, and a lot of blood was lost. She knew it, and she was completely **in love **with that fact. But her happy skipping footsteps were stopped when she came across a slumbering Oliver on the sofa. He had a bludger-sized swollen bump on his forehead, looking so very sore and reddish. Katie smirked, though her mind screamed: _What happened to dear Ollie?! _Katie frowned at that thought and scolded herself, _You are **not** to care for him. He's a fucking jerk, a damned self-centered bastard. Leave him. Marcus probably beat him up yesterday. _Katie forced her frown inside and it was replaced with a happy smile, _And serves him right!_

She wriggled out of the potrait hole and walked quickly towards the Great Hall. Sure, it was only 6 am, but hey, breakfast starts at 5.30 am till 8.15 am! She quickened her steps to the Great Hall, not wanting to bump into the Headmaster, which she knew, from previous experiences, was always walking around from 5 am to 6 am before going for breakfast. Unfortunately, Gentleman Luck was not smiling at her, he was rather smiling at Misfortunate lady rather pompously and smugly, trying to win her hundredly-rejected heart. So Katie bumped into poor old arthritis-ed Albus.

"That quite hurts, Miss Bell," said a voice somewhere below. Katie looked down and saw the Headmaster sitting on his bottom, "Oh! I'm sorry!!! Sorry!!!" Katie cried as she helped the Headmaster up. The Headmaster thanked her and walked behind her.

Albus was thinking about how pretty Filch looked with his face all scrubbed up when he noticed Katie's swinging hands. He noticed that something was quite amiss, yet he couldn't put his finger on it. _What is it... what is it?_ Albus thought thoughtfully as he continued studying Katie's hands, _Has she lost a finger? No, all are intact. Are her fingernails long? No... they're short, yet clean for a quidditch player... Oh yes! Where is her other wristband? And why is she wearing her old second-year Power Rangers digital watch? _Albus thought that it will better for him to voice his concerns, _I think it'll be better for me if I voice my concerns!_

Katie was walking quietly beside the Headmaster. She was feeling quite awkward. Sure, he's nice and all, but he just have this... _aura_ around him that made him all so... powerful yet in a genteel way. Which was most scary and disturbing. She jumped when the Headmaster questioned her, "Where is your other wristband, Miss Bell? Thought I am delighted to see you being a fan of Power Rangers again, oh, are you a Zack fan? I just _love_ the Black Ranger. Oh, uh, pardon, why are you wearing it again?" Katie paled, she was hoping that the Headmaster won't see her missing wristband, she was _ really _lacking in clean wristbands at the moment, so she decided to _save_. "Um, well...." Katie suddenly remembered something,

_"It is **so **annoying of you to ask us the time every ten minutes!" Cried and exasperated Angelina as she glared at the sheepish Katie, "Why won't you just wear your wrist watch?!"_

Katie suddenly glowed with the sudden idea, almost blinding the astigmatic Headmaster, and replied, "I just got tired of asking people for the time!"

The Headmaster nodded, though quite suspicious of her sudden glow and thought, once again, that it was better for his troubled mind to voice his concerns, "Why did you glow suddenly, Miss Bell?"

"Oh! Ummm... it's a new facial product I'm wearing!!!" Katie muttered quickly, a bead of sweat on her eyebrow, _Does he knows?!_

"Oh... I see..." The Headmaster mused as he opened the door to the Great Hall and allowed Katie in first. He walked towards his seat and sat down, still musing. Then, he called out, "Can you recommend me the product?"

**an: **okay! this chapter sucks! butbutbut, am in a hurry, and im having a headache the size of the crazy-handsomeness of Oliver, and its nearing the exams, and im panicking over lost time and studies! so uhuhuh, i love you all, and sorry for this chapter!


	4. Let me free from the shriek of the Dark

Oliver rubbed his tired eyes and peered blearily from his half-closed eyelids, and there it was, the monster, grinning at him with light reflected off the saliva-ed teeth. The flaming head of the monster tanned his face, and the shiny teeth terrified him to the seventh level of the Inferno. "AGH!!!" screamed Oliver as he scrambled on the sofa and managed to fell down, head-first. And blacked out.

"Oiy Oliver! Wotcha screaming for?! We're ain't that scary!" grinned Fred with the identical George nodding.

No reply came from the Gryffindor Keeper who was currently unconscious.

"Oliver? Oliver Cortes Wood?" said George nervously as he peered down from the back of the sofa and saw Oliver, with a drool dripping down from the side of his mouth, unconscious. "Oiy! Oiy Gred! He's UNCONSCIOUS!"

"You're joking!" exclaimed Gred as he kneeled beside Forge and stared at the fainted Oliver in amazement. It was the second accident in three days. Angelina had recovered, but she was still muttering odd things, such as, "Mr. Walrus wanted me to walk with him in the path of sunlight, but I declined, he looked too much like Padma Patil, and I gave him that answer, and he just said that he _was_ Padma Patil! So then after, like, a few minutes of thinking, I agreed to marry him in the path of sunlight with Filch as our priest and Snape as our Father-in-law. And oh, it was so beautiful...." and of which Angelina rambled on about how blinky her wedding was, with blinking lights and shiny aluminium foil, polka-dotted streamers and suchs. Fred was quite devastated too, since it showed that Angelina had some inklings of a bi-sexual, but devastated as he was and still is, he can't help feeling the dirtydirty excitement too. Ew.

Katie was quietly eating her eggs when the Headmaster stood up and tapped his spoon against his goblet, "Hearsay! Hearsay! The Gryffindor Quidditch Keeper and Captain, Mr. Wood, is now unconscious due to an unexpected surprised from an identical two. Quidditch matches are now postponed two weeks from their current starting dates since it is _compulsory_ for the Captain to be present. You can resume to your eatings now, it'll be an hour before breakfast is over."

Katie dropped the spoon from her grip and it clattered on the wooden table. A few heads turned to see a pale Katie with an astonished look on her face, her mouth opening and closing like a scary bulgy-eyed Goldfish. They saw her standing up, and running out of the Great Hall.

Katie arrived at the hospital wing, gasping for breath. She saw the twins, Alicia and Harry crowded around Oliver's bed. Angelina was smiling at them, yakking her head off about her two sons, made of snow. Madam Pomfrey bustled towards Angelina and forced a potion down her throat, "There! That'll recover her!"

Angelina blinked, and steam came out of her nose. She glanced at the Quidditch team and saw Oliver lying down on the bed, with a big bump on his head, "Oliver!" cried Angelina as she scrambled out of her bed and was suddenly engulfed in a hug by Fred.

"Angelina!" cried a happy Fred as he hugged Angelina, "You're back again!" Then he backed off, "Eww, you smell like a dungbomb!" Then he grinned and pulled her into a hug, "I don't mind that!"

Angelina frowned at Fred and pushed him away, "Bugger off! And I do not smell like a dungbomb!" She turned around and saw other members of the Quidditch team reeling back from her. "All right! I'll go off to bath now!" Angelina then took her belongings and stormed off to the Gryffindor's common room, forgetting about Oliver all at once.

Katie then went inside and joined the cluster around Oliver's bed.

"You know, there'll be no Quidditch meetings now!" cried gleeful George  
"Oh yeah! I can handle that!" smiled an elated Alicia  
"Let's celebrate it tonight!" ejaculated an excited Fred  
"........" said a quiet Katie

The threesome looked at the worried Katie and united their brains into one. They all smiled simultaneously, which will freak Katie if she saw it, but fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, she didn't. Katie continued to look at Oliver anxiously while the three smiled their heads off until Alicia spoke up, "Well, I'm going to..."

George butted in, "Breakfast! We'll see you after..."  
"school, won't we, Katie?" interrupted Fred with the answer already etched on his brain and the other two.

The both then joined arms, and skipped out of the hospital wing, much liked Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz with the Scarecrow and the Tinman.

The school ran pass Katie like a snail, with an extra house for itself. Motions of Professor Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick and Trelawney went so slow you can expect what they were going to do next. She daydreamed in each class, and was scolded and taken points away, yet never a detention given to her, since the bell rang when Snape was just forming the words detention, and Katie had already shot out of the dungeon. Katie had walked into the Great Hall for dinner, since she was starving as she skipped lunch to visit Oliver. Katie grabbed a piece of pudding, chugged down a glassful of pumpkin juice and ran out of the Great Hall. The threesome smiled knowingly, and Angelina just continued to eat as she reeked of flowers and fruits combined. She was oblivious of Katie's gargantuan crush at the moment.

Katie hid the sealed pudding in her pocket before she went into the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey just glanced at her dreamily, as she was dreaming about a certain short professor,_ Oh, he's so handsome and hygienic..._

Katie sat down beside Oliver's bed and snuck a glance at Madam Pomfrey. Luckily, her back was turned, so Katie took out the sealed pudding, opened it and started eating it. She leaned against Oliver's bed and ate the pudding silently. Suddenly, a piece of pudding dropped on Oliver's cheek, and Katie gasped quietly as she was jolted into reality. Katie picked up the pudding gingerly, thought for a few seconds, and ate it with a silly grin. Then she wiped Oliver's cheek, and... _OW!_

Katie quickly threw the container out of the window, slightly injuring a hippogriff Hagrid was preparing for his lessons, and called out for Madam Pomfrey, "Madam Pomfrey! Quick! Oliver's burning!"

Madam Pomfrey quickly sat up, took a couple of potions, and bustled towards Oliver. She muttered a quick spell and the numbers, _42_, appeared, glinting brightly. Madam Pomfrey gave a horrified gasp and sat Oliver up and made him swallow a couple of potions, then she turned towards Katie and shooed her away, "Please leave Miss Bell! I need to tend Oliver, and you'll be disturbing me!"

Katie gasped and clutched Madam Pomfrey's sleeve, "I won't disturb you! I'll... I'll help!"

Madam Pomfrey tutted and pushed her out of the hospital wing, "Many people mistake their disturbings for help." and slammed the door. Katie slumped against it and sighed,_ Why do I** like** him? He doesn't even care for me! I'm just a fucking__** chaser** towards him. Nothing else,** nothing!** Like I am to everybody else..._

Katie sighed and she trudged up to the Common Room, expecting to see a great big party going on. And yes, she was right.

Katie stared at the faces gadding about, her eyes swept over each one, trying to take in the details... but there were_ none_. Their faces were with all of the normal body organs and for some, a few spots, but she could not just place them. They were just escaping from her mind, her thoughts, her focus. Suddenly, the expressionless faces blurred when a female voice shouted her name from afar. Her eyes were full of tears. She quickly ran up towards her bedroom and locked the door. She jumped into her bed and closed the hanging, and uttered a mild warding spell. Now nobody could ever get 1 foot near her bed, let alone open her hangings. She heard the door knock, and she steadied her shaking voice and said, "Who's that?"

"It's me, Angelina! Are you all right Katie? Why won't you come down and celebrate?" enquired a suspicious Angelina as she tried to open the door, "And why is the doorknob locked?!"

Katie breathed in deeply and replied, "I'm tired, and I don't want Fred or George to come out and do some jinxes on our bedroom!"

There was silence. Katie fiddled with her blankets nervously as she waited for Angelina to accept her lie. "Okay then, sleep well Kates..." whispered Angelina, and footsteps were heard going down the stairs.

Katie sighed and lay down on her bed, shutting her eyes. Her wrist was_ throbbing_. She so wanted, no, _needed_ a quick slash to make it all better again. Katie dugged underneath her bed and her finger touched something sharp. It cut her finger slightly, and Katie quickly grabbed the thing carefully and pulled it out. A drop of blood was just seen from the small cut, and Katie sighed and smeared it all over her wrist. She then held the blad between her two fingers and ran it over her skin slowly. Bit by bit, the skin was torn off by the blade, dividing them, and so it opened a deep cut. Blood that was circulating around the wrist went out into the world, glinting...

_Oh look at the shining red of the blood! See how it gleams in the dark, catching what light?  
  
_Katie shuddered as small tremors of excitement was growing in her body, then it was mixed with pleasure.

It was 1 am when Katie woke up. There were no noise downstairs, yet no snores heard in the bedroom. Katie glanced at her sticky wrist, and peeked out from the hangings. She saw the two beds were unoccupied. Katie then climbed out of her bed, slid the blade underneat her bed and tiptoed towards the bathroom. There, she washed her wrist and beamed jubilantly at her new scars. Katie then walked out of the bathroom, grabbed a sweater and wore it, and then went downstairs quickly. There she saw, in the flickering light of the fireplace, Fred sleeping with Angelina snoring on his stomach and Alicia snuggling George's head. Litter was all over the place, and so were a few couples. Katie then went out of the potrait hole and snuck down quietly.

She managed to get into the hospital wing without any trouble from Filch or anyone else. And luckily, Madam Pomfrey was also out. She was trying to woo a certain short professor with a name that starts with an 'F'. So Katie managed enter the hospital wing and sit beside Oliver's bed without any problems. Katie sighed as she stroked the messy brown hair. Katie felt Oliver's forehead and her heart felt heavier when she felt that his forehead was still burning. Katie immediately went to the sink, opened the Cold tap and searched for a piece of cloth. She found it quickly as it was placed a metre away from the sink, on a table. Katie closed the tap, and submerged the cloth into the icy-cold water and walked back to Oliver's bed. She quickly placed the damp cold cloth on Oliver's forehead, wiping it slowly.

_"Let me go..." begged Katie, dried paths of tears on her face, "Please..."_

Katie sighed, and closed her eyes as another painful memory takes place, and her hand was still wiping Oliver's forehead on an automatic mode.

_"Let me go!" whispered Katie, fatigue. She looked at the shadow sitting on a chair in a far dark corner, and followed the glow of the cigar._

_"Why should I, dear Katie?" replied the shadow, puffing his cigar, with a note of glee in his tone._

_"Please... I've been lying here for days and days... Please..." pleaded Katie again as she tried to tug her wrist away from the chains. Another futile attempt._

_"So the problem is that you're feeling **hot**, isn't it?" smiled the shadow as it stood up, "Well, I can help you with that..."_

_Katie widened her eyes with fear, and the sheer desperateness of horror went through her, giving her a new found energy, "NO! NO! Please! I'm not hot at all! It's fine!"_

_The shadow came nearer, she could see its eyes glinting and she could almost feel its breath on her body. The shadow came nearer, with the cigar in its hand._

_Katie struggled against the damp hot bed, trying to get away from the monster in front of her. "NOOO!" she screamed as the cigar was brought close to her neck._

_"Is this hotter than what you were feeling just now?!" snarled the shadows as it stubbed out the cigar. Katie's body was suddenly frozen with fear. Yes, the cigar was horrible, but it was the **only** source of light..._

**_don't you wish to hear the shriek of dark?  
and let the fear dagger through our bodies  
numb from the sound, silenced by the gloom  
and shadows envelop our lifeless bodies_**

_Yes, she could hear the shriek of dark. She could hardly feel her clothes torn apart by the shadow. The hands rubbing all over her._

_"Is it cold enough?" chuckled the shadow in glee, when it had torn apart her last piece of clothing._

_Katie kept silent, her body was weak, she had no strength. Nobody was going to help her, and she knew it._

"Katie Alexis Bell!" snapped a snippy voice as it threw Katie back towards the hard ground of reality.

Katie's eyes snapped open, the cloth on Oliver's forehead was almost dry, and she turned around and faced a steaming Madam Pomfrey meekly.

"What in the world are you doing here?! It's 2.30 a.m. don't you know?!" snarled Madam Pomfrey as she strode towards Katie, towering her with anger.

Katie mumbled a reply about worries, Oliver Wood, and insomnia. Madam Pomfrey relaxed as she saw that Katie was trying to help, but as she had said earlier that day, some people _do_ mistake their disturbings for help. But... yes, Katie was actually helping since she had forgotten to go up to tend Oliver after being so pre-occupied in wooing the certain professor. Madam Pomfrey gave her a slight smile, "Well now, you just lie here in the bed, and I'll give you a dreamless sleeping draught."

Katie just nodded meekly and took off her sweater and snuggled down in the hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey soon came with the draught, and Katie drank it, and was soon asleep in a few seconds...

**a/n:** okay! am being horribly disgusting! am not studying [even though it's streaming year] and am writing this ficky 8] I quite liked this one, yet I feel that it still is a bit booby, yet not so as the chapters before, weee!!!!

Anyway, thanks to **Rachelle** for pointing out the rating problem for me 8] you rock! **PsYcHoJo**, lol, no, it's not sad that you know that Zack is in a new cell phone commercial, lol. and ** itefaq**, ive written a new chapter now, hey, it's your turn eh!?

and to **Tinkie, Rosie, darkmoon-on-dragonwings, **you rockkkkkkzf!

and to **pokElilpupE**, weee! somehow i like arrogant men. strangestrange........


	5. Flitting lights of the Northern

Katie stirred and opened her eyes blearily. _ Cold dark stone roof... grey..._ thought Katie as she listened to the faint sounds in the background, _I'm in the hospital wing..._ Then Katie jumped as she heard the door slammed, and sat up quickly. She blinked and peered at the direction of Madam Pomfrey's office. "Hello?" Katie whispered nervously, "Madam Pomfrey?" None answered, so Katie crept out of the bed quietly and tip-toed into Madam Pomfrey's office.

A single lamp was still flaring on the wall, occasionally, tiny embers sparked out on the cold grey floor. Her desk, standing impressively in the center of the otherwise bland room was messy with papers, and her chair looked as if somebody had stood up in a haste. Katie shivered and hugged herself. The fireplace was spewing up a few wisps of smoke. Katie then walked outside, closed the office door and went back to her bed.

Different coloured lights were splaying on his pale face, making him glow. The lights were chasing each other, running across and falling down and jumping around. Katie gasped and quickly ran towards the window. She smiled softly as she saw the northern lights playing across the dark sky, lit only by their bright yet soft colours. She wished she had her broom with her, so she could just fly straight to the aurora, and dance with the waltzing lights to the tune of whispering midnight wind and feel the silky smooth feeling of the starlight on her skin. _Katie..._

Katie snapped her head back, her mind jolted down from the flitting lights of the Aurora. Katie spun around and saw Oliver mumbling her name, "Katie... Katie..."

Katie bit her lip and grabbed the dry rag beside a bowl of icy cold water on top of the bedside table, she quickly wettened the rag with the water and wiped Oliver's forehead. A few beads of water rolled down Oliver's forehead but was caught by his long eyelashes. Katie thinned her lips and ran her finger gently along Oliver's eyelashes, _It's longer than mine! Gay boy! How-- **BANG! **_

Katie whipped around and stared at the flustered and pouting nurse, she quickly placed the rag beside the bowl and quickly crept in her bed while the sulking nurse was still grappling for something in a chest. Katie peek through her eyelids and saw Madame Pomfrey pull out a bottle out of the chest, she could see wisps of coldness shimmering above the chest before disappearing. Katie widened her eyes, _So that's what that chest contains! BEER!, _Katie grinned as she thought about the reaction she would get if the Twins knew about this.

Oliver peered at the ceiling through his damp eyelashes, "Katie?" he whispered softly. He had seen her looking surprised as she quickly took away his finger from his fluttering eyelashes when they had heard a bang. He had seen her soft brown locks whipping around, attacking his nose with a scent that sang shrilly, _ORANGES!_, and her small pyjamas that showed a slice of her enthralling golden skin and the way she leapt into her bed so gracefully... _Damn! I'm getting softer and softer everyday..._

Katie turned to peek at Oliver in her bed, Madame Pomfrey was still sitting on a chair, drinking her beer rather grumpily. She could still see the reflection of the northern lights being reflected on Oliver's face. Katie bit her lip as the itching to go out and fly grew bigger and bigger inside her. Katie tried to distract herself by squinting at the facial features of Oliver when she saw Oliver turn and felt a pair of laser beam on her face. Though she couldn't see Oliver looking at her [_That damn eyelashes!_], she knew that he was looking at her and that made her flushed. Then she saw that kissable lips turned in a smirk at her and then she saw a glint of melted chocolate shaded eyes flashing underneath those thickly-lidded skin. That made Katie bolt up straight and caused Madame Pomfrey to sputter out the mouthful of beer, and hastily hid the bottle underneath a bed. Katie then turned to Madame Pomfrey and ran out of the bed and grabbed her sweater and rushed out of the hospital wing while shouting, "I forgot to do my homework!!!"

Katie grinned as she saw the fluttering Aurora above her and mounted her broom. She was quite happy for the good excuse she had given and that the Aurora was still there. She then flew straight up to the sky, her skin tingling with anticipation of the smooth texture of the flowing northern lights. Then she had burst into a land filled with colours and splendour.

Katie laughed as she tried to follow the formation and waves of the dance, though she failed miserably, she was having a wonderful time, she had escaped from her miseries, from her past, from her problems, from everyone. She was alone here with this glowing dancing lights to keep her company.

_I wish I knew how it would feel to be free  
I wish I could break all the chains holding me  
And I wish I could say all the things that I wanna say  
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear_

And at that moment, she knew how it felt to be free, to be broken free by the chains that the person had used to keep her in his reign, that she will never be abused by saying what was on her mind. She was a part of the flowing lights in the Aurora, she was one of them, a spirit with equal sins and good deeds, a fairy laughing as it danced around the ring, an elf running lithely from one evergreen tree to another, she was anyone but herself, she was unburdened, she was really free.

Then the lights came to a stop abruptly, jolting Katie to her senses as she stopped, hovering thousands and thousands of feet above the earth, her face blank, but her eyes suddenly shadowed. Katie began her slow descent to the ground as the wind whipped her cold and stinging. It was gone, her _friend. _Her... her... temporary escape.

Katie stumbled to the green field, and lay on the dewy grass face-down as the sky began to take a slight bluish tint. It was dawn. She will never escape from the clutches of that... that _man_. Her torturer, executioner. The Death Reaper. And then, an owl hooted and dropped a parchment beside her, and flew off.

Katie sat up and blinked at the sky, searching for any owls but finding none, she looked down at the parchment, it was black. Black... the only person that wrote her using black parchments was her brother. Katie stood up numbly and stuffed the parchment into her pocket and walked back into school. Her mind was a blank as she uttered the password and collapsed in the Common Room. She glanced at the fireplace, there was no fire, the room was cold as it was outside. Katie sighed and pulled out the letter and unscrolled it,

_Dear Kath,_

_I'm on my way to Hogwarts while you're reading this. Dumbledore and I have to discuss your school fees. You know we haven't paid him since your 5th year, and it's your 7th now, your last. Dumbledore said it didn't matter, but you know I don't like owing people._

_I'm going to stay over at Hogwarts for a day only, I'm sorry if it seems brief to you, but I'll settle the matter with Dumbledore quickly so you and I can spend more time together after that. We rarely see each other in the hols since I'm busy working._

_I'm sorry if this seems immediate to you since I know you're an organized freak, but hey, it's good to have some changes._

_I've been drinking the potion to keep my illness under control, Kath, so don't worry._

_Love ya,  
Derrick._

The potrait door then opened and in enter a tousled-haired Oliver with his hand stuck in his hair, making it even more messier. Oliver saw Katie sprawled on the sofa, with her face looking at the other direction. He went towards her and sat on the table beside the sofa, "Katie..." he whispered, "I need to talk to you."

Katie turned to face him, her face was clearly pissed, "What?" She snapped, and faced the other direction again.

Oliver scrunched his mouth and gently touched his shoulder and said firmly, "Look at me."

Katie closed her eyes in agitation and brushed his hand off, "_No!_"

Oliver then stood up, pulled Katie into a sitting position, and turned her around to face him. He saw her clenching her eyes shut tightly and grinned. Then he stopped and shook her gently, "Katie, please..."

Katie bit her lip and shook her head furiously, she could feel hot tears burning her eyelids, wanting to go out, _Why the hell am I crying?! No... no..._

_"What's wrong Katie?" asked him, his voice full with worry_

_Katie sobbed and crawled into his lap and huddled, still sobbing, "Mama..."_

_He hugged-- _"Katie!" _-- her and whispered, -- _"Katie? Why are you crying?" _-- _"_It's okay Katie, they're in heaven now..."_

_Katie looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, "What about brother?"_

_Smiling, --_ He hugged her, crushing her into his chest, her hands stroking his hair, her legs folded on his lap, her arms suddenly encircling his neck.

"Please don't cry, Katie, I'm useless at these stuffs..." Oliver pleaded as he smoothed hair and rubbed her back, his mind was reeling with desperation, _What the hell can I do?!_

Katie opened her eyes and saw Oliver's black robe up close and personal. She shook with fear, _-- he hugged her against him, she could smell the soap the Hogwart's elves used in washing up, and he whispered, "Dare will be back, and take care of you."_

Oliver tilted Katie's chin up, her eyes glazed and her lips were partly opened.

_"He'll always be back."_

Katie shut her eyes, spilling the burning tears against her cheek and buried her face on Oliver's shoulder, "_Hold me"_

Oliver's mouth dropped open, "Hold you?!" he sputtered as dirty thoughts reproduced in his mind. Katie's answer was only more head-burying into his shoulder. Oliver grinned nervously and hugged Katie tight with one arm while the other reached and his fingers drew words on her neck.

"Katie, I think you're not in the mood to hear this but I'm really sorry when I said that you were just my chaser, because you're not. You're not mine, Katie, but you're my friend. And I care about you."

_ *You can't do anything, you're useless, a piece of trash. Rotten." He laughed as his hands groped all over Katie's body._

"I'm nothing to you," Katie whispered, her eyes taking in the milky-white skin of Oliver's neck.

Oliver hugged her tighter, and stroked her cheek, "You're more than anyone else is to me in this school."

_"Don't be fooled by what they say, dear Katie... Don't be fooled when they say they love your or they care about you, or you meant something to them,"_

Katie's hand turned into balled fists, her eyes closed with such ferocity.

_He sneered and continued, "You know that you're nothing. You're just a body, Katie, a body made to please me."_

Katie's eyes snapped open and she sat straight up and stared into Oliver's eyes, "You're lying."

Oliver grabbed her wrists, and Katie winched. He pulled her left wrist up, "Stop doing this, Katie, please."

Katie pulled her wrists away and glared at him, "Why do you care? And how did you know?"

Oliver smiled faintly at Katie and circled his arms around her waist and pulled her closed, "I saw you doing that in the field. Don't do it anymore, please? I won't know what to do if you're gone."

Katie gritted her teeth and looked away, _Stop pulling me closer! I'll kiss you if you do!, _and caressed her wrist, "Because you're one chaser short."

Oliver's eyes darkened and he gently turned her chin towards him and leaned in, "Because I l--"

"KATIE!" exclaimed someone as Oliver and Katie both sprang apart, blushing madly.

And there stood Professor Dumbledore and a tall, handsome young man with messy brown hair and sparkling grey eyes, Katie sprang up and shovelled her hands into her pockets and smiled, "Hi Der."

**an: **okaaaaaay! sucky ending! but so what? i don't care! nyaha!

to **itefaq:** your reasons are valid, i too have just finished my exams which i am sure will fail me, pah! anyway, thanks, and the bastard with a cigar, well... let just say... well, let's just not say at all! 8D

to **PsYcHoJo:** well, strange is good, ain't it? 8P

to **pOkElilpupe:** lol, she really hafta get rid of those doesn't she? But Ollie's fine now, and fine enough to kiss someone i'd say.

to **dracosgurl_chrissy: **i like draco and hermy too, but this is one of my top 2 faves! the other is katie and percy, lol.

to **little red3: **thanks, AND HOW COULD YOU FIND OUT MY SECRET?! i admit, i went to dictionary.com. i do not have a sliver of knowledge in me that can construct a french sentence 8P

to **everyone else: **WEE! i lurve you too, yay!


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